A Time of War
by AWriterOfThrones
Summary: After surviving an assassination attempt by Cersei Lannister, Margaery Tyrell goes up north to ask for the help of Robb Stark, King in the North, and form an alliance. Cersei has crowned herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but that shall be challenged once Daenerys Targaryen finally lands in Westeros. Will the lioness be able to defeat both the dragon and the wolf and rose?
1. Chapter 1

ROBB I

In the midst of all the terribly-played music and the food and the gleeful conversations that were happening all over the hall, Robb Stark thought that his uncle Edmure's wedding to the Frey girl was a considerably joyful affair. Even when he couldn't be overly affectionate towards his wife Talisa, in fear that Lord Walder Frey might take it as an insult, he| found himself to be enjoying his time at the Twins. His lady mother had no reason to worry about anything, he reckoned. Nothing bad would happen that night. _Except mayhaps a few drunken men fighting._ He chuckled to himself at the thought, shaking his head as he dismissed the silly idea.

His gaze moved towards his uncle, who seemed very interested in his wife. The man had said over and over again that he would not marry a Frey, that he would never do that to himself, until everyone else around him had convinced him that it was the right thing to do, if they ever hoped to win the war. And now Edmure was completely happy. Robb would definitely tease him about it later, when he had the chance. Then, the young man turned his head to look at his wife and the babe that was growing inside her, smiling. He couldn't wait to be a father and form a family with his beloved Talisa.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Asked Talisa, cocking one brow at her husband and King. This only made him smile even more broadly.

"No reason," he replied. "You're just nice to look at."

His eyes kept wandering around the place, trying to find his mother, and for a brief second, he wasn't able to spot her. She was sitting right beside him.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Robb asked lady Catelyn when he set his eyes on her, noticing that she did not seem as happy as the rest of the people present. The look in her blue eyes was cold, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"Don't you see it?" She replied in a whisper. "They have men standing by the doors, like they do not want anybody going out. And Lord Walder and his sons are behaving far happier than they should. Even if he did force you to apologize for breaking your promise, that most likely wasn't enough to make him forget about it, yet there he is, smiling and jesting with our men." The music changed in that moment, in a tune that Robb didn't recognize, but the expression on his mother's face revealed that she very much knew which song this was. "They're playing The Rains of Castamere… Robb, there's something wrong here. I want you to go out and look for someone, anyone who can help us understand what is going on. My uncle has just gone out, perhaps he is the right one."

"What?" His mother was just being paranoid, there was nothing to worry about. She had to be kidding. However, the tone in her voice and the way she stared at him told him that she was being completely serious.

"Go, Robb."

It didn't take him long to stand up from his seat and make his way towards the door, claiming that he needed to take a piss. The two guards shook their heads and said he was not allowed to leave at the moment. This angered Robb. Why wouldn't they let him out? Maybe his lady mother wasn't so wrong after all. There _was_ something strange going on, something he couldn't quite figure out yet. A small grunt left his lips once he tried to push his way past the guards, but they did not relent, so the Young Wolf had to use more of his strength. The two men hurried and tried to close the door, in an attempt to keep him from leaving. He did not let that stop him, and squeezed himself out of the hall as the door slammed close behind his back.

Many men were outside, most of them were his own. Those were all drunk. The rest, belonging to Lord Walder Frey, were walking around, holding weapons in their hands as they talked to one another, passing some sort of information along. The sad notes of the song his mother had recognized as The Rains of Castamere were easily heard even outside of the main hall. A cold wind ran past Robb, making him shiver. It was far too cold, a wind common in the North, not in the Riverlands. Everything seemed calm for a few moments.

And then everything became chaotic.

The Frey men began to murder the Stark men in almost every way imaginable: Stabbing them in the back, stabbing them in the belly, hacking their heads off, slitting their throats, slashing them through their entire torsos… Robb couldn't keep count of the many ways he saw his own men die at the hands of the Freys. Was this happening inside as well? Gods, Talisa… His mother… Had they been coldly murdered as well? He tried to open the doors, the need of finding both women and saving them if they were still alive was strong. But he wasn't able to do so. What about Grey Wind? Where was he? The direwolf had been kept in the stables during the wedding, but Robb didn't know whether his wolf had been able to get out, or if he was killed too. Banging his fists on the door, the King in the North screamed in rage. If he couldn't save his lady wife and his lady mother, he was useless. The screams of the dying men were all that could be heard in that moment, the smell of blood and death filling the air so terribly that he could almost taste it. The thing that he could feel the most, though, was the pain of knowing he was powerless to stop everything that was going on around him.

Somehow, he seemed to be invisible, for no one came to attack him. And he wasn't going to wait for someone to do it, so he ran across the camp, getting as far away as possible. His breathing was heavy, his eyes shifting from one side to the other in order to look for anyone who could attack him. It hurt him to leave his family behind, but he had to live, he still had to save as many of his men as possible on his way out. Not many had survived the attack, but the few who did and were lucky enough to find Robb followed him, and they all fought their way out of that wretched place, away from all the death and suffering. _I don't know any of these men._ He could not remember their names, and he barely recognized their faces. Nonetheless, they were his men, and he would stay with them.

What could he do now? Most of his army had just been slaughtered, his wife and his mother and his direwolf had most likely just been killed when all of them were supposed to be protected by guest right. The quick answer to that question: Go away, as far as he could. Go the only way possible. Go north. Go home. Not knowing how in the seven hells he would manage to return to the North, he ordered his men to follow him, and they escaped.

The rest of that night was a haze in Robb's mind, and the only thing he could remember about it was the way he shivered, the way he turned to look back every few seconds, hoping that no one had followed them. Even the progressively fading screams and smell got to imprint themselves in his memory. Nothing more. He didn't even remember how they had all ended up sleeping close to the river, hidden in between some bushes and trees. Nor did he remember when or where they had gotten horses to ride. All that mattered now was going back home. Only then could he sit and properly grieve and think about what he would do after this. He had lost almost his entire army, he had lost almost all of his family. Now only Sansa and Jon remained to him. Shaking his head, he kept riding. He couldn't allow himself to dwell in these thoughts now, not now.

He had to go back home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I just wanted to thank everyone who has read, followed, favorited and reviewed so far. It's very encouraging, and I'm really grateful for that.**

 **Also, I want to clarify something: This chapter occurs some time after the first one, but things in King's Landing have stayed (And will stay) largely the same as in the show up until the start of the sixth season.**

 **If you enjoy this chapter, you are more than welcome to leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome! And if you have a question about the story, you can leave it in your review and I'll do my best to answer it.**

 **To Fenrir44: Grey Wind was unfortunately killed in the stables where he was being kept, just like it happened in the show.**

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MARGAERY I

Life in King's Landing wasn't easy, there was always someone or something to watch out for. Dangers to be aware of, obstacles to avoid. In the case of Margaery Tyrell, she had to watch out for spiders and mockingbirds, but those had been out of the picture for a while now. The only real threat that remained now was the lions. Or rather, the lioness. Cersei Lannister was the only person who prevented her from properly ruling as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. The woman's ambition to hold all the power herself made her dangerous, and the fact that she was actively trying to get rid of the Tyrell didn't help much either. If there was one thing that she needed, it was to defeat the lioness.

That wasn't so easy to do, however. Things weren't so simple in King's Landing. In that city, one had to play a game, one move at a time, always knowing what to do and what to say, never letting the opponent know what one's next move is going to be, while at the same time trying to figure out what the opponent's next move will be. It was a game that could very well end up with one's death if a wrong move was made. Margaery never made a wrong move, nor did she let anyone know what she planned to do next. She even thought that she knew very well what Cersei had planned, that she had an advantage over her. But she was wrong about that.

The second the news about her brother Loras being arrested by the Faith Militant arrived, she knew that there was something not quite right with it. _Cersei must have had something to do with it._ After all, the Lannister woman was the one who had allowed the reinstitution of the Faith, making it very likely that she had a part in Loras's seizure, maybe even being the one who ordered it in the first place. That bitch was willing to do anything in order to interfere with Margaery's relationship to Tommen. But the younger woman would not let that happen.

She convinced her husband and King to talk to his mother about freeing Loras and also approach the High Sparrow about the same matter. Tommen was not able to convince either of them. And according to him, Cersei even denied having any part in Loras's imprisonment. _The nerve in this woman is impressive_.

"Thank you for your help, Your Grace." Said Margaery once her husband had come to tell her of his failure. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, even though she truly didn't want to hurt the boy with her words, for he only meant well, and was at least trying to help. Nonetheless, he had _failed_ , and Loras was still in the hands of the Faith, with seemingly no way of getting out of there. She could probably go to the High Sparrow and talk to him, but that would probably end up failing as well. There was only one thing to do now that had the slightest chance of succeeding in freeing her brother.

The Queen made sure that the letter sent to her grandmother communicated the news of her brother's arrest, the fact that she had tried to free him and her plans fell through, and that she needed the presence of Lady Olenna in King's Landing as soon as possible. Her grandmother was the smartest woman she had ever known, and she would definitely be able to solve the problem that her two youngest grandchildren were in now. _Please hurry, Grandmother._ Not having much else to do, Margaery patiently waited for her grandmother to arrive, hoping that she would be able to fix what her own granddaughter wasn't able to fix.

During this wait, it was announced that the High Sparrow would hold a small trial for Loras soon, to finally determine whether he was guilty and thus would have to be imprisoned for longer, or on the other hand, innocent and free to go and do as he pleased. If the gods were good, he would be tried innocent.

Margaery's patience was worth it. Lady Olenna arrived just in time for Loras's trial, and sat right beside him as they waited for the High Sparrow to enter the room. She did not seem very happy, and the deadly stares she gave to Cersei every once in a while disclosed that she also believed that the lioness was guilty for the situation Loras was in at the moment. _She has always thought like me. Or, rather, I have always thought like her._ She and her grandmother had many similarities, to the point that she more often than not saw herself as a younger version of Lady Olenna.

Her mind was tempted to delve into memories of the past days, before her brother was seized, when she had been able to spend as much time with him as she wished, and it seemed like nothing would ever go wrong for them. However, there were other pressing matters at hand, so she disposed of those memories for now and focused on the present. She was the Queen, and with the help of her grandmother, she would get her brother out of the hands of these religious fanatics who were holding him prisoner.

When the High Sparrow arrived, he did not waste any time in putting Loras in the center on the room and begin asking questions to him. "You are aware of the rumors concerning you and Renly?" Even though the old man had asked this, Margaery knew that he had meant it as a statement, not a question.

Loras shook his head several times. "I don't pay attention to rumors." He was obviously going to deny everything he was being charged for, and pretend not to know anything about the things people whispered about him. It was no secret that Loras preferred the company of men, everyone in court knew about this. Margaery did not see what was so wrong about it, but she kept her thoughts to herself, knowing that they would not be helpful in this trial.

"You were said to be despondent when he died," the old man replied. "Witnesses state that you refused to leave his bedside, even as Stannis's army closed in…" Margaery let herself be lost amidst her thoughts, not caring for the High Sparrow's arguments against her brother, and only began to pay attention once more when he listed her brother's crimes, and Loras denied them all.

"That will be all, Ser Loras." The young man stood up from his seat and went to meet his sister and grandmother, all three of them thinking that this was all. The High Sparrow clearly didn't think that it was, for he called Margaery forward to ask her some questions.

"You call me forward?" She was incredulous. She was the _Queen_ , for the gods's sake, how did this man even dare ask her to be part of his trial? She was tempted to refuse until her grandmother gestured for her to go. Reluctantly, she stepped up and went to sit in the middle of the room, awaiting for the old man to ask her all the questions he wanted.

"How do you respond to these charges against your brother?"

"They are lies." Margaery stated. There was absolutely no way that she would let the Faith believe her brother was guilty if she could avoid it. And right now, she held the power to claim that her brother had never done any of the things he was being charged for, and hopefully manage to free him from any further judgement.

"All of them?"

"All of them." Loras was staring intently at her, she knew it, but she didn't dare take her gaze away from the High Sparrow, knowing that he would take it as a sign of dishonesty. The old man didn't seem pleased with her answer.

"Queen Margaery, in the presence of the gods do you swear that your brother is innocent of these charges against him, to the best of your knowledge?" _It's a dare, it has to be. He wants me to break down and reveal the truth_. Apparently, he did not know the lengths that Margaery was willing to cross in order to protect her brother.

"Yes, I swear it."

"Thank you, Your Grace." With that, she returned to her seat, thinking that her mission was complete. The sound of the doors opening only strengthened that belief, they were being opened for her and her family to leave, weren't they? Only when the blond man she had once caught in bed with Loras entered the room did she understand that she was not going to leave immediately. He was being brought as a witness against Loras, probably by Cersei. How did she find him? The answer didn't take long to figure out. _Gods…_ The man was a spy working for her. That was the only possible reason for him to betray Loras in this way. Margaery gritted her teeth when she realized this. At the same time, the man was testifying against Loras, and even told the High Sparrow about the time when she walked in on him and her brother. Of course, both she and Loras denied the claims.

"Why would you believe this man over the heir to Highgarden and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms?" Cersei asked, after the High Sparrow had shown that he did not believe the Tyrell siblings. Margaery didn't like that. What angered her the most wasn't that Cersei had a spy that told her about Loras's actions and that she brought that spy to testify against him, it was the fact that Cersei had even dared to defend the Knight of Flowers, as if that would make the Tyrells think that she had nothing to do with this entire thing. It was clear that all this was set up to make Loras look guilty.

The man's only proof that he had ever lain with Loras was the fact that he knew how his birthmark looked like. It was rather weak, in Margaery's opinion, but with each word uttered by this blond man, the High Sparrow seemed more and more convinced that Loras was guilty of the crimes he was being charged for.

"Liar!" The Knight of Flowers shouted when he heard the blond man's statement and attempted to tackle him. Only the sparrows were able to stop him from doing so.

His aggressive reaction towards his former lover did not aid his cause. In fact, it only convinced the High Sparrow that what the blond was saying was true, and he ordered the arrest of both the Tyrell siblings. Loras for being guilty and Margaery for lying about her knowledge of her brother's actions.

Her grandmother immediately jumped to defend them. "How can you prove that Margaery _did_ know about it?" She inquired. "What this unimportant self-proclaimed sword swallower said about Loras does not prove that Margaery knew about their supposed relationship. And it's, at best, weak evidence that should really not be considered. He could have gotten that information anywhere. " Lady Olenna was not going to let them take her grandchildren so easily, apparently.

"You speak some sense, my lady," the High Sparrow stated. "However, the Faith finds the evidence strong enough to judge Loras. But, unless further evidence is presented, Queen Margaery shall remain innocent in the eyes of the gods." Her grandmother had just managed to save her from imprisonment, but not even the wits and sharp tongue of Olenna Tyrell had succeeded in saving Loras as well. The Queen did not care about her own freedom at the moment, she just wanted her brother to be free.

"You cannot take Loras. He is the Queen's brother!" She yelled, trying to stop the sparrows from taking Loras away. "I am the Queen! You must listen to me!" Her attempts were futile, and the only thing Margaery was able to do in that moment, apart from screaming like a madwoman, was watch helplessly as her brother was taken away from the room. As Loras disappeared from her sight, she vowed one thing in her mind: _I will free you from this, Loras. No matter what it takes, I will free you from this. I promise._


	3. Chapter 3

Again, I would like to thank all the people who have read, followed, reviewed and favorited! It really means a lot, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.

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CERSEI I

Sitting in her chambers, Cersei's gaze was set on the floor, the woman herself lost on her thoughts. There was no expression in her face, and the only way to understand what she was feeling was to read her mind. Or to know about the situation she was going through in that moment. Her brother Jaime was out in the balcony, looking off. He was there because she had asked him to step away from her chambers |for a moment. She couldn't bear to look at him. The only thing she had wanted him to bring from Dorne was himself and their daughter, but instead, he brought a corpse with him.

She understood that it was not her brother's fault, but in her grief, all logic was thrown out the window. All Cersei could think about was the fact that she had lost her daughter, her little precious bundle of joy. Myrcella was the most pure girl in the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms, there was absolutely nothing bad about her. She was so unlike her mother that the woman didn't even understand how she was able to bring something so good into the world. And now the girl was gone, just like her older brother. Cersei had lost her two oldest children, after she had vowed to protect them from any harm.

But it was fate, Maggy the Frog had prophesized it. _You will have three children. Gold will be their crowns and gold their shrouds._ The words were still very clear on her mind and the laughter of the witch after she made her prophecy still haunted Cersei's dreams. Everything Maggy had said became true… The Queen was not able to stop it from happening. There was one thing she could still stop, however. She still had one child left. Tommen would not come to any harm, he would live a long, happy life and be a King, with his mother by his side for as long as possible. She would use her powerful position to protect him, and if she had to kill an entire army by herself to keep that position, she would. That was a vow. One that she did not intend to break.

"Your Grace?"

The voice drew her out of her thoughts. It wasn't Jaime's voice, no. This was a voice she knew very well, but a voice that she dreaded. When she lifted her eyes to look at the person who had interrupted her thoughts, she found a slender figure with brown hair and brown eyes. Margaery Tyrell. What did she want now? She was probably here to mock Cersei and make her feel even worse than she already was. That was the bitch's only mission in life: Trying to make her miserable. Well, she was not going to let that girl do anything to her now. "What do you want?" She asked sharply, in a tone that suggested Margaery should leave in that same instant. But the girl did the complete opposite of that: She approached her with a sympathetic smile, an obviously _fake_ smile.

"I've come here to offer you my best wishes and offer to help in any way that I can." Did she really think she was fooling Cersei with her sweet tone and kind words? If she did, she was very wrong. It was very clear that she was only trying to manipulate her in some way. The older woman would not let herself fall for the younger's mind games. She was very much aware that Margaery was the woman Maggy was referring to when she said a younger, more beautiful queen would cast her down. Everything Tommen's wife did was to get rid of the lioness. Perhaps it wasn't so obvious to everyone else, but it was to her.

"I do not need your help nor your best wishes," she said, an icy look in her eyes. "What I need is for you to leave. Now." Maybe that way the wicked little bitch from Highgarden would understand that she was not wanted in that moment.

"Oh, you are mad with grief, you don't even know what you're saying!" Margaery twisted her lips into a sort of frown and shook her head. There she was again, not so subtly mocking and insulting her. Many times in the past she had done this. It was as if she didn't know how to do anything else.

"Believe me, I know very well what I'm saying. Now _get out_."

"Very well then." The girl raised her hands in the air as a sign of defeat and began stepping out of the room. When she reached the door, she stopped and turned her head, her mouth opened like she was about to say something. Nothing came out of her mouth in the end, and in a few seconds, the door was closed and Margaery Tyrell was out of Cersei's sight. Finally. She did not understand as of yet what the Tyrell girl had hoped to accomplish by entering her chambers and talking to her. Maybe trying to manipulate her in some way? Well, she wasn't going to let anyone mess with her mind, it was already very affected at the moment.

All she wanted now was to be left alone. Cersei was a Lannister. A lioness. And as such, she had to be strong in front of everyone else. But when alone… When alone, she could let herself be weak for a few minutes and let out all of her pain and tears.

Her first sobs were quiet, so quiet that no one else but her could have been able to hear them. Those sobs soon grew louder, though, and caught the attention of her brother, who came running back from the balcony to embrace her. Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her head on his neck, allowing herself to be weak in front of him, her tears slowly finding their way down his skin. Jaime didn't seem to mind about all that, his only response was running his hands down her now short hair, gently shushing her in an attempt to calm her down.

"Can you imagine locking Myrcella in a crypt?" Cersei asked in the midst of all her crying. "Can you imagine her pretty little face starting to bloat, her delicate body being eaten by worms?" She couldn't imagine anything else. Her beautiful little girl, forever rotting in a crypt.

"Don't think about that…" Jaime whispered, still stroking her hair. But she continued speaking without acknowledging his words.

"It's all that witch's fault, she said my children would die," in that moment, she was regretting her visit to Maggy the Frog more than she had ever done in her life. If it hadn't been for that, she wouldn't have had to live her life in fear, doubting and mistrusting anyone who crossed her path. She wouldn't have had to live knowing that she would outlive her children, whom she loved more than anything else in the entire world. "It all came true… All of it, it was destiny."

"You don't really think that, do you?" Her brother stared at her, his eyes now set on hers, never blinking, not even once. With their emerald eyes now locked, she just managed to stop sobbing and give him an answer.

"Of course I do," _how could I not?_ "I tried not listening to her, but that did not work. Her prophecy was true."

"You cannot let that happen, you cannot let her words affect you. If so, she will win, and I scarcely think that you would rather see her win." These last words from Jaime made something arise in Cersei. All the self-pity and the pain slowly started to disappear, leaving room for anger and resolution. The tears running down her cheeks were ready to start drying out, for she was not going to shed any more of those. The moment of being weak had already passed, she had to be strong now. For Myrcella. She wouldn't have liked to see her mother sobbing miserably like that.

She was a lioness.

"You're right, I would rather die than let her win. I will _not_ let the last part of her words become a reality. Tommen will live, and you are going to help me with that, do you hear me? Our son must _live_." Where moments before there had been weakness and sadness in Cersei's eyes, there was none of that left now. It had been replaced with fierce determination. She would let nothing hurt her last child.

"Yes," Jaime answered, giving one definitive nod as he moved one hand to cup her cheek. "Tommen will live. Fuck the witch, fuck the prophecy, fuck _everyone else._ No one but _us_ matters, and to everyone who has robbed us of what is ours, we _will_ pay our debts." A Lannister always pays their debts. Cersei would apply that philosophy now. There were many people who owed her now, and she would make sure to pay them back for everything they had done to her, and more.

A few days later, she walked through the empty halls of the Red Keep, heading without a single hesitant step towards one specific destination. Cersei had not seen her son since she had been imprisoned by the bloody High Sparrow. Tommen had not visited her, neither during her time in the cells, nor after she had returned from them. She was going to change that now. She wondered how different he would look after all that time without seeing him.

The Queen didn't bother herself with knocking on her son's chamber doors, she walked in without thinking about it twice. These chambers were a foreign place to her now. The last time she had set foot in that place, Margaery Tyrell was still betrothed to Joffrey… Shaking her head, she approached Tommen, who was sitting down on his bed, staring at the floor, much like she had been doing just a few days prior.

"Tommen?" She called out, causing him to perk up in his seat and turn his head. The slightly started look on his face was changed to a beaming smile. He was a precious boy, so handsome and good.

"Mother! How are you?"

"I could be better," she replied truthfully. However, she could not help but feel less bad because of the simple fact of being around her son. "You?"

Tommen stood up and hesitantly stepped towards her, his gaze dropping to the floor and the smile that adorned his lips fading. "I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Cersei raised one eyebrow at him, knowing what he meant by that, but deciding to let himself explain everything.

"For…" The boy sighed, slowly moving his eyes to meet his mother's. "For never visiting you. Or Margaery. For not doing anything, anything at all to save you. I know you would have done anything in your power to free me if I had been in your position… And I just did not do the same for you. I'm not strong like you. I'm sorry, mother."

Cersei offered him a reassuring smile and tightly wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "My boy, there is naught to forgive." she closed her eyes, remembering how many times she had dreamed of having her children in her arms again. But not even her dreams compared to really having her darling boy right there with her.

"No, there _is_ ," he said, returning the embrace. "I have failed you as a King, and as a son. I must learn how to be more like you…" That seemed to make an idea appear in his head, since he broke the hug and firmly placed his hands on both of his mother's arms, staring at her. "Would you teach me?"

Her eyes shone with a small sense of pride. He wanted to learn how to be a true Lannister, how to be a King. She nodded her head once, the feeling of pride in her eyes also showing through her smile. "Of course I can. You will learn how to be strong, and you will be a fine King, I can assure you." And there, during a second embrace with her son, for a few moments and for the first time in a very long while, Cersei Lannister didn't feel sorrow or _shame_ or pain or anger. Only happiness.

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 **If you enjoyed this chapter, you are more than welcome to leave a review, those are always appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'd like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed and all, as per usual. It truly means a lot! And I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

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MARGAERY II

Important letters not being delivered in time. Problematic handmaidens. Lannisters. All of these were things that had greatly bothered Margaery in the past. And they probably would have stayed at the top of that list of things, if it weren't for the religious fanatics who were keeping her brother imprisoned because of being himself over evidence about as strong as the good in Joffrey had been when he was alive. These men and women had quickly made themselves a privileged spot on the list of things she loathed the most.

They had kept Loras in filthy cells scarcely suitable for a Tyrell of Highgarden, they had tortured him, they had forced him to feel ashamed of what he was and they had broken his will. That was just what she had noticed during the few times that the High Sparrow let her visit her brother. Who knew what else they had done to him? After all, they had had him in their power for many moon turns now, giving them the chance to do whatever they pleased to him. Margaery's blood boiled when she tried to guess what else Loras had to live through during his time. However, she tried not to think about it for too long, otherwise she would go mad with anger.

All of her actions during the entire time that Loras had been kept prisoner were focused on freeing him from that place, and scarcely any of the thoughts running through her mind were much different. Their grandmother had stayed in King's Landing with her so they could both work together and come up with a plan to help him. Lady Olenna's first instinct was to have a private meeting with the High Sparrow, where, according to her, she had to resort to bribery and threatening after her attempt at diplomacy proved to be unsuccessful. But not even that seemed to work, the old man was firm in his belief that Loras was guilty and should be kept in those terrible cells. As such, the Tyrell women were forced to create another plan, one that didn't involve having to persuade the High Sparrow. Margaery still remembered how that last conversation had been like:

The Queen walked through the gardens of King's Landing almost all on her own, with only a few guards walking at a safe distance from her. No matter how much she had insisted that she could be alone, the knights refused to let her go by herself, and she had no choice but to let them accompany her, but never standing by her side. They would be able to hear things then, and perhaps those things would reach the wrong ears. It just wasn't a clever move to have them stand by her side. After a while of walking on her own, her arm was gently taken by that of her grandmother, who had refused to leave the city until she was sure that Loras was safe. It was her idea to have this conversation by walking through the gardens. The walls had ears, she had said, it was much safer to talk while taking a stroll. Margaery had assumed the very same thing, so she had no complaints in taking this small walk. As always, it was just impossible for the both of them to disagree with each other.

"Grandmother," she nodded and smiled at the older woman. "I assume you didn't come here all by yourself? You know you ought to have company at all times." These were just things she was saying off the top of her head in case there was someone listening, in hopes that it would dissuade them from continuing to spy on them.

"My dear, I may be old and frail, but I can still very much take care of myself. Now shush and let me speak." _Delightful as always, Grandmother,_ she thought with a small smirk showing in her lips. Her grandmother's tone dropped until she was only whispering, almost to the point where not even Margaery could hear her. "No one will be listening to us, do not worry, you can talk freely."

"Very well then," the Queen said, dropping her voice as low as the elder had. "I have been thinking, and I doubt that a direct confrontation with the Faith would do any good for us, and certainly not for Loras." At best, it would look like House Tyrell was attacking the center of religion to get their heir back, and that would be it. But at worst, and more likely, the High Sparrow would find a way to punish them for their actions. Cersei had given him too much power, and now not even she could take it away from him. Such a foolish woman.

"Unless we want to get killed, no, we shan't do that," the lady Olenna shook her head. "We should take a more subtle approach to this particular issue." The gleam in her eyes revealed that she had already thought of that 'more subtle approach' that they would use. Margaery didn't know for sure what it was, but she did think that her own solution could be the same, or at least similar to the one her grandmother had thought of.

"Loras should leave quietly, at an hour where no one will be around to see if he's still there." They needed to get several men who were willing to infiltrate the Sept of Baelor, free Loras from his cell, and get him back to the Red Keep. Men who were willing to lie in case they were caught, and never reveal that the Queen and her grandmother had anything to do with this. The older woman nodded in agreement, which prompted Margaery to continue speaking. "We must find some loyal men to do this. Not ones who we have to hire, obviously. Their loyalty is fickle, and can vanish in any given moment. Also, we need to do this quickly. Cersei is full of grief now, I even visited her in her chambers to make sure. She just ordered me to leave. She is not as focused on my actions as before, which means that there is no danger of her discovering our plot and destroying our chances of succeeding, the way she did when Loras was supposed to wed Sansa Stark. At least not if we do this while she is still distracted." As much as Margaery wanted to feel bad for her husband's mother, she just wasn't able to feel anything for that woman except hatred. She did feel bad for Myrcella, though. That girl was a pure soul, certainly not deserving of passing away so soon in her life.

"You are right, dear," said her grandmother with a soft smile on her lips. _She had already thought of all of this, hadn't she? She's just telling me that to make me feel good._ It was obvious. The way she was smiling and looking at her was just her way of showing how proud she was of Margaery for getting to the same answer she had, even if it had taken her slightly longer to do so. "I assume you already have these loyal men you are speak of?"

"I don't, Grandmother," the younger shook her head, a tad ashamed of herself. "But I will find them right after we finish this stroll."

"No need for that," lady Olenna smirked at her granddaughter with that smirk that she had whenever she had already taken care of most things, if not everything. "I have selected a few myself, and I was hoping that you could help me choose which ones to send for Loras. They are all knights of Highgarden, and you know them all, fortunately."

"Of course I can." So that was all her grandmother wanted from her: See if Margaery thought of the same thing and then ask her to help which choosing the men who would free Loras from his cell. The woman acted quickly, there was no doubt, and it made the Queen happy to know that her grandmother actually cared about including her in the plan somehow.

"Marvelous! Now, I'm going to return to Highgarden in a few days, and soon after that will a certain sword swallower whom we like to call family do the very same thing." It was the obvious thing to do, after all. Loras couldn't stay in King's Landing. That was just _asking_ for him to get caught by the Faith again.

"Grandmother!" Margaery scolded her, the tone in her voice raising ever so slightly. It wasn't a harsh scolding, however, it was merely playful. "You can't call him that, I've told you so before."

"Why not?" Lady Olenna retorted. "It is what he is, isn't it? I'm not insulting him, or trying to shame him, I am only describing him. You know I'm supportive of his nocturnal activities." Her grandmother's bluntness and the way she talked about things made it difficult not to laugh. Margaery tried her best, but in the end, a small giggle came from her lips.

"You are a wicked woman, Grandmother."

"Oh, I know," an amused grin appeared on the elder's face. "It's what's kept me alive all these years." More laughter came from Margaery, who looked at her grandmother with admiration for a few seconds. She slowed down their pace until they had stopped altogether, and placed both of her hands on her grandmother's arms, glancing back at the guards so they stayed at the adequate distance from the women and then turning her gaze back to where it was before.

"I do have a question."

"Well, ask away now, it's not like I'm young and have much time left."

"Grandmother! You have _quite_ some time left," Margaery told her, smiling. Lady Olenna was always talking about how little time she had left, but there she was still, very much alive and always active. "Is there any chance that these men can bring Loras to the Red Keep? I want to go to Highgarden with him and make sure he's well."

"And _I_ can't make sure he's well when he arrives on his own?"

"Of course you can, but…" The Queen's gaze wandered around the gardens for a few seconds, the woman herself trying to find the right words to use. "I haven't seen him in a while. I want to be there for him and at least help him begin to heal. Loras isn't the same man he was before his imprisonment, I noticed that the last time the High Sparrow allowed me to see him. I'm sure it would do wonders for him if I joined him during his way back home."

Her grandmother stared back into her eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "I can arrange that. You will announce that you must travel out of the city, and no one has to know that your brother is with you."

Margaery hurried to wrap her arms around her grandmother. "Thank you!" She hugged the older woman tightly and let her go when she deemed it necessary. "But Tommen will want to go with me, he would never want me to leave him alone."

"Of course he does not want that. You are much, much smarter than him and his tart mother. He needs you to help him rule the Seven Kingdoms." This time, Margaery didn't even bother trying to scold her grandmother. It was just impossible for her not to say what was on her mind.

"So, he can go? There is no problem with that?" She asked.

"As long as he doesn't tell anyone about your brother, no."

"Don't you worry about it, Grandmother. I have my ways of achieving that." She offered her grandmother a mischievous grin. There was not much to talk about after that, and they finally went their separate ways. People would be wondering where the Queen was by that moment, and she could not have people wondering where she was. That only opened the door for trouble. Curious people were dangerous, especially in King's Landing.

That had been days prior, though, and now, she was in her chambers, eagerly waiting for her brother's arrival. It was very late at night, at an hour in which Margaery would have been normally sleeping, but the sheer excitement of seeing her brother again had kept her awake, not to mention the small fear that he wouldn't get rescued. It was one of the most excruciating nights of her life, that was for sure. Every second passed was another second when the rescue mission could have gone wrong for any number of reasons. _Don't think about that, Margaery. Think positive._ Yes, positive. That was how she needed to think. It was useless to think about the possibility of failure, it would only add to her already massive worry.

So, to keep her mind entertained, she tried to think about the plan she had to follow once Loras arrived. He would obviously stay in her chambers for the rest of the night, and when the sun rose high up in the air, they would enter the carriage which would take them out of the city and to Highgarden. Tommen, who, as predicted, insisted on going to Highgarden with Margaery, would not see his brother in law until he got on the carriage himself. Margaery had kept the entire plot hidden from him, it was the best way to avoid him accidentally telling anyone. She would only reveal her plans to him at the latest moment possible, which was when they were all on the carriage together, safely away from any other ears.

And finally, after endless hours of sitting around and waiting, there was a small knock on her door. The person knocked twice quickly, and then two more times, albeit at a slower rate. It was the code she had agreed on with the knights so she knew who to open the door for that night. With a broad smile on her lips, Margaery ran to the door and gently opened it. "Loras?" But upon setting her eyes on the men who stood before her while carrying her brother, her smile vanished in an instant.

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 **And as always, if you did enjoy the chapter, you are more than welcome to leave a review. Hope you all did, and see you on the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! As usual, I'd like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited and followed so far.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

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ROBB II

The castle of Winterfell had always been the home of house Stark, ever since the time of the Kings of Winter, thousands of years past. Even after Aegon the Conqueror had landed in Westeros a few centuries back, the Starks had managed to keep their ancestral home. Nothing had _ever_ driven them away from there, not even the mighty dragons of Valyria. That was more than it could be said of other houses, like house Gardener or house Hoare, both of which had faced extinction once the Targaryen conqueror landed in their Starks had always been in Winterfell, and would probably always be there, right? _There must always be a Stark in Winterfell, after all._

How wrong they had been about that. Ned Stark's appointment as Hand of the King and subsequent trip to King's Landing had sealed the fate of house Stark for good. After his death, his son Robb had inherited the title of Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, but more importantly, he had been _named_ the King in the North by his own lords. And together, all of them had started a war to avenge the honorable Ned Stark. Robb had made sure that his brother Bran stayed in Winterfell to rule. _There must always be a Stark in Winterfell_. However, that didn't last long, for Theon Greyjoy betrayed Robb and killed his brothers to take over Winterfell. To top it all, the King in the North had started to lose the war, even though he had yet to suffer a loss in battle. The situation only got worse after Edmure's wedding to the Frey girl, when most of Robb's army had been coldly murdered, along with his mother, wife and direwolf. Robb had managed to escape, and thought that the only possible thing to do was to return to the North, to go back home.

He struggled during this trip, and when he finally reached the North, big was his surprise when he discovered that the castle of Winterfell had been overtaken by the Boltons. At the time, the Young Wolf didn't know about Roose Bolton's involvement in the Red Wedding, and as such, thought that his bannerman would be more than glad to return him his rightful seat. He had been wrong about that as well. The head of house Bolton had refused to let him pass, claiming that _he_ was the lord now, and then sent some of his men to murder the rightful lord. Robb would have been deeply affected by the betrayal if he hadn't suffered such a bigger one so recently. With the few men with whom he had escaped with, he again succeeded in slipping from the hands of death, and sought refuge with his other bannermen. Every single house in the North, except the Karstarks, were more than willing to keep Robb with them. The North remembered, and most of these northerners shared one belief: _There must always be a Stark in Winterfell._ Wolves were the ones who ruled, not the flayed men of the Dreadfort. And as such, even though this particular Stark had just lost them a war and thousands of men, they supported him and fought by his side to reconquer what was his. Almost none of them were warriors, it took a lot of effort and much of Robb's strategic mind to earn the victory and reclaim Winterfell. His first orders after he achieved this? Hang Roose Bolton and his bastard son for treason.

He had done it. He had won back his ancient seat, and was again ruling as King in the North. _There must always be a Stark in Winterfell._ And now, after a brief shift in power, there was a Stark in Winterfell again. But it wasn't easy for Robb to be the King now, no. He had just lost a war and many men, his kingdom was broken and in the poorest conditions imaginable. He had to regain the respect of his people, and above all, their trust. So, even when his heart was burning with the desire to take revenge for the betrayal of house Frey, he decided that the cleverest choice was to stay in the North and rebuild his kingdom and army before even thinking about running back into war.

The news of his victory against the Boltons didn't take much time in spreading to the rest of the kingdoms, but all the southerners were too occupied playing their games and trying to sit on their precious Iron Throne to even care about what was going on in the North. That made things easier for the Young Wolf, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone attempting to interfere with his actions. Not even the Freys dared travel up to finish what they had started back at the wedding.

While no one really wanted to disrupt the peace that was finally achieved, there _was_ someone who wanted to take advantage of it. Robb didn't know much about Petyr Baelish, having never really met him, and most of the things he heard about him came from his lady mother, who was the only person he knew that had actually met Littlefinger. The other things, of course, were all the rumors that surrounded him, which Robb had no doubt were true. Lord Baelish had Sansa with him, and brought her to Winterfell shortly after the King in the North had reclaimed it. His intentions were clear even though he never voiced them: He wanted to gain the trust or at least an alliance with House Stark by bringing Sansa to Robb. And while the young Stark man wanted to mistrust Littlefinger, the mere fact that he had returned the girl was enough for him to feel gratitude towards the man, and made it difficult to not put some trust in him. As such, Lord Petyr Baelish left Winterfell with the Starks owing him a favor.

After Littlefinger's departure, the situation of House Stark seemed much better than it did just after the Red Wedding. They had their King ruling and his sister right by his side, learning how to rule as the Lady of Winterfell. Even if they were still missing three siblings, it was much better to have only two of them safe at their home than none at all. This was how they spent their first two years back at Winterfell, just the two of them.

It was nice, at times. After all, they had always gotten along pretty well as children, and even those years spent apart from each other hadn't changed that. Sansa was still herself, but she now knew that the world wasn't exactly just like it was in the songs. Robb was still himself, even if he was now much more mature and hardened due to his duties as King. Both were still children, no matter all the terrible things they had witnessed in the past few years. They even helped each other cope with everything they had lived through, being able to finally feel their shared grief and let out all the feelings that they had bottled up within themselves in an attempt to look strong in front of other people.

There were days when they just wanted to have their siblings back with them, to be together again. Arya, Bran, Rickon… Where were they? Even Jon was missed, but at least they knew he was safe at Castle Black. Other days, however, they seemed to be completely happy, as If nothing bad had ever happened to them.

The two Stark siblings lived like this for quite some time, losing hope of finding the rest of their family with each passing day. But they were dead wrong about that. One day, out of the blue, the now Lord Umber, Smalljon, came to their door with a quite unexpected surprise. It was Rickon, along with Osha and his direwolf Shaggydog. They were completely unharmed and they seemed very happy to be back at Winterfell. Tears were dropped, hugs were shared, and even more importantly, the family was one step closer to finally reuniting. This renewed Robb and Sansa's faith on finding their last two missing siblings, and they started putting all their efforts into that again.

It hadn't worked so far, but they now wouldn't give up until they found Arya and Bran, or until they were absolutely sure that they were dead. They couldn't be, though. If Rickon was alive, then so were they. They would be found someday.

Until then, Robb, Sansa and Rickon would continue to rule in Winterfell and slowly rebuild their army. The treasons committed against their family were not forgotten. Not now, not ever. Even when Sansa tried to convince Robb that there had to be another way to solve these issues, he paid no attention to it. The Lannisters and the Freys _deserved_ to pay for what they had done. Robb remembered, and he would never forget or forgive. Not now, not ever.

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 **I do know that this chapter was more of a "catching up" sort of thing, where I told you what has happened to Robb since he escaped from the Twins up until the present. I didn't actually write his entire adventure since it is not the story I'm trying to tell now. However, I'm thinking that maybe some of you would have actually enjoyed to read that, so I'll ask you: Would you like me to write a separate story depicting everything that happened to Robb in detail? Let me know in the reviews.**

 **See you on the next chapter!**


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